Do you struggle with posting content on social media? Are you unsure of how often to post?
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a small business owner or a big corporation, you should always be posting content on social media.
But when is the best time to share your posts? And why is it so important to use Instagram insights to boost your business engagement?
I’ve used data from over a million Instagram posts to find out exactly when is the best time for each type of post. In this article, I’ll reveal the exact times when you should post photos, videos, and links depending on your business niche and industry.
I’ll also explain why certain types of content work better than others and provide some key SEO strategies you can use the next time you post on Instagram.
How Instagram Insights can help you find the best times to post?
There are many ways you can take to go about finding the best times and posting schedules, however, the best tool you should use would be ‘Instagram Insights’.
If your business is focused on increasing brand awareness, then this could be of great help as it is primarily focused on audience insights.
After you create a business profile on Instagram or creator’s account, download Instagram Insights which will show on the bar graph in the upper right-hand corner. Then, you’ll start off by filtering what city/country/gender/age/days and times your target audience is using the platform.
Here is an example of what it could look like:
As you can see, Instagram Insights provide key information to the top locations your audience is primarily in and which demographics (age and gender) check your content the most. From this data gathered, you can draw conclusions to help you see what type of posts you should be aiming to target for your audience.
On the other hand, the “activity” tab also helps you to find out the type of content that gain high engagement rates and more.
By having a clear depiction of what works best for YOUR business, you will be able to strategize your Instagram platform to post during the optimal times.
By posting on Instagram during the peak engagement times, you can maintain and increase likes and followers over the long-run.
Consider your International Audience
Based on speculated evidence by LaterBlog, the recommended times to post your content will vary in terms of the location you are targeting.
It is, however, a good idea to target your audience on an international scale as you can gain access to different consumers all around the globe. Nevertheless, by using this strategy, you can earn more quality leads and a wide network reach beyond just your local region.
Although these are all helpful key points to consider when thinking of the best time to post, it is also important to remember that each industry will have its own best time slot to post.
Now let’s look at which times you should be posting for your business.
What is the best time to post on IG for your industry?
Retail
E-commerce and shopping online are becoming ever so important in today’s digital modern society. According to sproutsocial statistics(2022), 44% of users are shopping on the Instagram app weekly.
Retail industries are thriving in advertising their products and goods on social media platforms like Instagram. Also, with the recent announcement of TikTok Storefront, advertisers have more and more ways to sell their products and services on social channels. So, if you are in the retail marketing business, then finding out the best time frame to post will be extremely beneficial to your business.
Generally speaking, the best times to post on Instagram for your retail business are on Wednesday at 3 pm and Friday during mid-day hours. Also, keep in mind that a lot of consumers are not very active on the weekends as they mostly get off work and go out to enjoy actual real-life interactions. So, the best times will be during the week from Sunday to Thursday and not too late in the night or too early in the morning.
Pro tip: You could go back to Instagram Insights and check your activity tab to see which content are highly interactive and on what times of the day- Is it weekends or weekdays?
Travel &Tourism
Based on recent estimates, the best time to post if you are in the travel marketing niche is likely the weekends as most travel agencies are able to interact with their consumers when they have more free time then. The peak time zones would be from early morning to mid-day hours around 9 am-1 pm. Fridays are the go-to days from 11 am-1 pm so keep that in mind if you are in the travel business!
Non-Profits Organization
Nonprofits are continually engaging more on the Instagram app. The ideal posting time on Instagram for this type of business is Wednesday as the levels of engagement are high from 1-4 pm. However, the worst time would be on weekends so try to not post then as you likely won’t be getting much interaction.
F&B
Food and Beverage Industries surely grab their Instagrammers attention. You see people snapping a picture of their lunch or dinner constantly and posting about what they eat, where they eat, or what eateries they’ll recommend. Nevertheless, as you are in the food industry business, it is recommended that you engage with your audience at peak times-that is during lunch hours. Unlike other industries, the F&B business is mostly engaging with its audience on weekends as that’s when everyone would be eating or dining out with their families and peers.
Tech
For tech industries, the optimal times to post on Instagram is during the middle of the week on Wednesdays in the early mornings from 6 am-9 am or Mid-Morning from 10 am-11 am. Furthermore, you can also post on the weekend early morning hours on Friday from 7 am-10 am or Saturdays from 7 am-11 am.
Healthcare Industry
Healthcare marketing industries are also growing on social platforms as they use apps such as Instagram to their advantage. The best time to post on Instagram for healthcare businesses is during the weekdays from 9 am to 3 pm and once again, you’d want to try and avoid posting on weekends as there are least engagement rates during this time.
Content Strategy
When it comes down to finding the best content strategies on Instagram, most would say that it is important to post compelling content however it is not enough to do just that. There are more factors that come to play when optimizing your content on Instagram.
Let’s take a look at the 5 main strategies:
Image Content:
(5 Key Content strategies:
1.KEEP IT SHORT AND MINIMAL -Instagram is a fun app for users to scroll and have fun, so keep it short and get your point across.
2.USE CAROUSEL ADS-These type of ads are proven to be so much more engaging so have a play with them and see how it can convey your brand’s persona.
3. CONTACT OTHER SOCIAL INFLUENCERS-Gain authority on your account by networking with social influencers that are well versed and equipped in the industry.
4.POST REGULARLY-If you are in the trending business, such as retail, then it is crucial to constantly keep your followers up to date with all the latest promotions and sales.
5.INCLUDE A “CALL TO ACTION”- It is futile to post content without having any way for your customers to contact you. This is necessary to gain qualified leads to your business.)
One of the content strategies mentioned, influencer marketing, is extremely beneficial to maximize your Instagram platform. So, keep that in mind as well.
On a side note, you may learn something new by looking at what your competition is up to and using this to your advantage too. If you’re in a specific industry like retail, it may be worth checking out where your competition likes to post in order to benchmark your social media performance and identify any gaps in your social marketing plan.
Instagram Features to Optimize Engagement
It is costly to market your business on social media platforms like Instagram. So you want to avoid any extra costs if you can. One of the ways you can do this is by testing when the ideal time to post is by trial/error and you can also use other methods-such as A/B testing.
Instagram Reels
Other than posting images on just your Instagram Feed, you can also branch out to other ad placements.
Did you know Instagram reels alone have a much higher engagement rate than any other?
It is essential to make use of the different Instagram placements for your content whether that may be Instagram stories, Instagram live, or the reels. Do keep in mind, however, that the sweet spot to post on your Feed is no more than once a day, as you don’t want to be flooding your audience’s feed.
Posting Schedule
If you want to post on another day or in advance, you can also schedule your posts with several “Instagram scheduling” tools.
Key takeaways
By focusing on your audience with Instagram Analytics and when they mostly interact with your content, you are likely to achieve your marketing goals and find the best time to post content for your business.
If you need more guidance on Instagram marketing and strategies, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us and we can give you the support you require to help your business grow further.